


Teenage Dream

by gracefulally



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Community: kradambigbang, High School, Kradam, M/M, Summer Camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-28
Updated: 2012-07-28
Packaged: 2017-11-10 22:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/471553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracefulally/pseuds/gracefulally
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the summer of 2000: boy bands and pop princesses are all the rage, cell phones are still relatively new and clunky, no one's even heard of an iPod, and 14-year old Kris Allen is falling in love with fellow musical camp attendee Adam Lambert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teenage Dream

**Author's Note:**

> A Kradam Big Bang idea that will likely never be finished.

Every big city is terrifying when you’re used to the quaintness of small town Arkansas. Kris had visited Conway and he had vacationed in Little Rock, but Dallas-Fort Worth made him feel a little overwhelmed and queasy due to the sheer volume of people. He was a speck of dirt in a sandbox and God help him, please, if he managed to get lost before he made it to New York.

“Mama, we’re never gonna find Tony in all this,” Kris said in a drawl before anxiously glancing up to her as they left the Cinnabon counter, which Kris’ starving teenage stomach had insisted they visit as soon as the heavenly smell of fresh buns and icing had hit his nose. He told himself to keep his delighted moans to a minimum, but the first bite he shoved into his mouth was _so good_ that the unfettered “Oh gosh” escaped him anyway.

Kim frowned slightly at Kris before halting and digging into her purse as it emitted a muffled trill. Kris snapped his mouth closed to chew and curiously raised his brow at the noise. He still wasn’t used to hearing that ringer. No one in his family had needed a cell phone before now and though it was technically his, he hadn’t been allowed to use it very much and never without one of his parents nearby.

“Hello?” Kim prompted into the handset after the third ring. “Oh hi! We just landed and he’s already wondering where you are.”

Kris’ face screwed up in confusion at her smile before he took another bite of sugary goodness.

“Uh-huh… Oh, so the other boy is here, too? Great!” After a broad grin, Kim’s smile faltered and she started to nod as if taking down mental instructions. “Okay… Alright, I think we can find you in under an hour,” she said after glancing to the watch on her wrist. “Yep. See you soon, Tony. Buh-bye.”

Kris waited for her to hang up and put away the phone before covering his mouth. “You know where he is?” he asked between chews.

“Nope,” Kim replied brightly. “That’s what the janitors are for.”

“Mom,” Kris began with embarrassment etching his features, “they’re working. They’re not tour guides.”

Kim rolled her eyes as she put away the cell phone. “You’ll thank me when we’re not lost in an airport,” she said before setting off and motioning for him to follow.

Grumbling under his breath, Kris shrugged his shoulders to adjust the guitar case on his back and trailed after her. He forced himself to not be utterly mortified when his mom stopped a man passing with a cleaning cart and began to tell the unsuspecting stranger their life story.

“This is my son. He’s going to New York for the first time to play his viola,” Kim said as she held a hand out to Kris and then gestured to the instrument case she was holding. “The trip here was actually his first flight and I’m surprised he managed it without puking, you know how those little planes can be.”

Kris offered a weak smile when the man looked to him. He then glanced at his feet and willed his mom to ask for directions.

“But anyway, we’re looking for his counselor and another boy who’s going to the same camp. I was hoping you could steer us if I told you the gate number?”

Kris missed the next part of the conversation as he dug into his cinnamon bun and glanced around. There were so many different signs and arrows, and every direction looked the same. People had to get lost all the time.

“Kristopher, are you coming with? Don’t you want to see Tony?”

Turning back to his mom, Kris rolled his eyes. She was acting like he was excited to be leaving for the whole summer. Well, he _was_ excited, but not _that_ excited. He loved his family and home, and he had a feeling that New York was going to spin him on his head. Kris just hoped he was mostly the same when he got back. He definitely did not want to alienate the few friends he had on the first day of high school.

In thirty or so minutes of walking that followed, Kris easily talked his mom into an ice cream bar, a chicken sandwich, and giant bottle of green Powerade. He felt what he could only describe as being “drunk off food.” He was still sipping the Powerade when they happened upon Tony, a serious looking man with a close-shaved haircut and a no-nonsense set to his square jaw. Kris would be intimidated by Tony’s height alone if he had not already spent the better part of a day talking to Tony as the prospective campers from Central Arkansas were whittled down from thirty to one.

After exchanging smiles and hugs of recognition, Kim stepped back from Tony and patted Kris on the shoulder. “Where’s the other boy?” she asked curiously, seeming to have a light concern that this boy was not within the immediate vicinity.

Tony jerked a thumb toward the seating area. “Kid on the cell phone.”

When they all glanced together, as if on cue, a broad-shouldered boy with strawberry blond hair and a cell phone pressed to his ear let out a full belly-laugh that sent the oddest sensation through Kris that he hoped no one was looking at him or saw the stupid grin on his face. Kris quickly averted his eyes and bit his lip as his face flushed. Mentally kicking his own butt, he told himself that the warm fuzzy feeling that laugh had sent through him was just coincidental gas from all of the food.

“Adam,” Tony called out. “Come meet Kris.”

Looking up from his shoes, Kris forced a sheepish smile as the much taller and paler boy, Adam, stood and approached after getting off his phone.

“Hey,” Adam said in warm, gentle voice that frenzied Kris’ fuzzies. “I’m Adam.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m Kris. Tony told me about you…”

Adam blushed as he took Kris’ outstretched hand into his larger one for a quick shake. “He told me a little about you, too…” Adam said before they each pulled away like they’d been burned.

Kris stuffed his hand into his pocket and Adam immediately continued to introduce himself. “You must be Kris’—” was all he got out before Kim had grabbed him into a hug. Adam’s bright blue eyes bulged a little, but he laughed and returned the hug with a chuckled, “Hey, you are Kris’ mom!”

“Oh, call me Kim, please!” she said before pulling back to put a hand to Adam’s face. “You California boys are so handsome,” she fawned and Kris tried not to die on the spot.

“Aw, thank you!” Adam replied with a smile. “But look at you! I think Arkansas has us beat.”

Kim shook her head and looked to Tony. “You better take care of these boys. The good ones are hard to come by.”

“Don’t worry,” Tony assured her. “His mother already threatened me if I let something happen to either of them.”

“She can be scary,” Adam said with a quick nod and a chuckle.

“So can I,” Kim pointed out as she stepped back. She then turned to Kris with open arms and gave him a slight pout. “You going to miss me?”

Kris huffed and gave a slight roll of his eyes. “Of course, Mama,” he said as he stepped into her hug. She sniffled and Kris felt a pang of ache in his chest. His dad had cried buckets when sending them off in Arkansas., so he thought his mom would be able to keep it together. Kris instinctively tightened his hold on her and she clung back.

“You be careful, okay?” Kim quietly told him between her sniffles. “And you know what to do if you want to come home.”

Kris simply nodded against her and muttered, “The ticket’s in my guitar case for the flight back.”

When they parted, Kris watched her face to make sure she was really okay before he would take the viola and cell phone from her. Kim wiped her eyes and glanced to her watch.

“Oh, my flight’s in twenty minutes,” she said before grabbing Kris into one more quick hug and slamming a kiss to his cheek, making Kris grimace. “Be good,” she said to Kris and glanced to Adam, “and teach each other something!” Then, she was off, turning back to wave once.

Kris watched her go until she was out of sight. He turned back to Tony and Adam with an awkward intake of breath. “So…” he began, but said no more, which made Adam laugh, putting that funny feeling in Kris’ insides again.

“We don’t board for over an hour,” Tony told them. “Don’t wander off and Kris, feel free to put that cell phone to good use like Adam’s been doing.”

“Actually, I was hoping to get to know Kris,” Adam said. “Well, get to know more than you’ve told me anyway…”

Tony’s gaze fell on Kris, who chuckled and shrugged. “Sure. I’ve never been to California before.”

“And I’ve never been to Arkansas,” Adam pointed out. “Let’s go sit down. Tony’s already watching my things.”

“Yeah, I’ll watch your stuff,” Tony replied and gestured after Adam. “Go. Bond. Talk about Britney Spears.”

Kris handed over his viola case before shrug off his guitar and setting it down carefully. He followed Adam over to the seating area. “Do you really want to talk about Britney Spears?” Kris asked skeptically as they sat down.

“Well, that depends on the kind of music you like…”

“Um, a little of everything…”

“But not Britney?”

Kris was not about to admit that some of her tracks were his favorite songs to hum in the shower. “Er, no…”

“Favorite band?” Adam asked curiously.

“Uh, Creed?”

Adam winced. “Yeah…” he said uneasily. “I guess they’re okay…”

“You don’t like them?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Oh.”

“What do you think of Christina?”

“Er, who?”

Adam’s mouth dropped open. “Hold on. I’m getting my CD player. She is _so good_. You won’t believe it unless you hear it!”

“Um, okay…” Kris said with a nervous chuckle. He watched curiously as Adam dashed off to their bags. He supposed his mom asked what he learned that day, he could always tell her that Adam taught him about Christina.


End file.
